Cramp and whimpers

I've been quite enjoying the rivalry in the latest series of The Amazing Race Australia, not least of all because it's actually the Amazing Race Australia vs New Zealand, and to date we had been beating their asses.

There was the first challenge when we beat the Aussies in the tug-of-war despite them having Tyson - the largest guy in the world - on their team. New Zealanders know how to plant their feet and tug.

Then the end of the first episode saw the elimination of the first Aussie team. Oh, poor things. They can't help it that their country's stupid.

This was followed in the second episode by another Aussie elimination. As is now the custom.

There was a slight hitch in the next episode as they eliminated a NZ couple for the first time. It hurt too as they were the ones I was really enjoying because they displayed my same level of physical fitness. Very little, and only for short periods of time.

On the other hand it made it acceptable for them to go. They would never have won. Which is why I'd never enter one of these competitions. Failure is hard. Acceptance is also hard, but easier than failure.

But then tonight... I almost couldn't watch.

It seemed certain that things would go back to their usual stance. The beautiful and clever Aussie ICU nurses went to the wrong university campus. The one that was really, really far away instead of the one that was right by the airport. There was no way they'd be able to catch back up with that sort of start. Meanwhile back at the roadblock a guy out of one of the NZ teams decided it was a great idea to not drink any water. In Namibia. In the heat of the day. He really didn't understand why he started to feel quite bad and faint and crampy until he actually collapsed.

The NZ team member who was now his nemesis even stopped to help him up and get him going. But we never saw him drink any water. And he kept getting cramps. And complaining with whiny repetition about how much his cramps hurt, and how he couldn't see.

In the end the NZ team completed their challenge quicker, but couldn't get to the mat before the Aussies because he was lying down on the track with cramp and whimpers.

Now I'm only watching under suffering. I'm also appreciating the Amazing Race Canada instead. It's sometimes nice not to have skin in the game.